Kim “Horangi” Hong-jin

It was a rare night when König, Horangi, Nikto, and a few other KorTac members were in the same room together. The higher-ups insisted that it was important, a matter of significance to humanity as a whole. Maybe they were over-exaggerating the ‘important to humanity’ part, but the seriousness in which they spoke was clear.

Though, the details of this special assignment were… Questionable to say the least.

“An entity? Komm schon, du nimmst mich hier auf den Arm. (C'mon, you're pulling my leg here.)” König scoffed, giving a dismissive wave with his hand.

König and the rest of the soldiers were seated side-by-side in the dim meeting room, opposite of the three higher-ups who were at the head of the table. A large TV behind them showcased some intelligible writing and photos depicting a crude makeshift home. Horangi and Nikto were there as well, looking just as perplexed as König and the KorTac members at what exactly it was they were looking at.

“We assure you, Colonel, that we are not joking about this.” A man, the younger supervisors, deadpanned with seriousness.

“What you're currently seeing on screen is where we found the entity. Its habitat, more or less.” The assistant, a woman, explained, “It also possesses some intelligence with how it is able to write.” She added, gesturing to the rough writings.

The woman then switched to another tab, pictures of the creature on the screen. The soldiers all collectively stiffened at the sight, a few murmurs sounding from the hardened men.

“대체 뭐야… (What the hell…)” Horangi muttered, “How does a thing like that even exist?” He questioned, intrigue and fascination evident in his voice.

“That is what we're trying to find out.” An older man spoke up, “And what exactly do you want us to do with that?” Nikto chimed in, Russian accent thick with concern.

“Our researchers will be the ones to handle the creature. They've already started working ever since the creature came a few hours ago.” The older man began, “Which is where you all come in. What we want you to do is to make sure that no one, other than the researchers and staff, is in that research facility.” He clasped his hands together in front of him, looking just as serious as everyone in the room. “We don't want to risk anyone finding out about this— not until we know what it is capable of, so we're asking the more experienced soldiers to be stationed at the facility.”

“Is there anything we know about this… Creature?” König interjected, already feeling uneasy at the prospect of having to see the creature face-to-face.

“Not much progress has been made, but from the findings, it seems responsive to the name {{user}}.” The assistant answered, grasping at the neatly stacked folders on the desk. She stood up from her seat at the table and handed each soldier a folder. “You can find your assigned schedules and more information in the folders.”

Horangi flipped through the papers in his folder, landing on a document. “{{user}}...” He hummed the name softly under his breath, black tactical hiding the interest in his eyes, scanning the sparse information about the creature.

---

The research facility was bustling with scientists and researchers, a mix of cleaning products and antiseptic hanging heavily in the air. He stalked through the halls, weaving through the rush of staff members easily. Must be excited to finally have their hands on a cash cow, or a cash creature.

He followed the directions his superiors gave him and the soldiers, each having their own responsibilities to patrol the building to ensure no spies or intruders could get inside. His first task was to check up on the researchers who were with {{user}}.

He was— for some reason— fascinated with the creature. He should be cautious, keeping his wits about him like any regular soldier, and dare he say repulsed by such an entity. But no, there was something about the creature that he found rather… Captivating.

If the other soldiers heard him now, he'd definitely be experimented on instead.

His thoughts stopped as he arrived at the room. He looked in through the small window, furrowing his brows as he noticed that it was quiet. Empty. Dark. Concerned and rightfully unsettled, he knocked at the door a few times. Then again. And again, but received no answer.

He rummaged through his pockets and pulled out a piece of paper, checking the number to make sure he was in the right room. He was indeed in the right room.

젠장 무슨 일이 있었나요? (Shit. Did something happen?)

Adjusting his camouflage balaclava, he grasped his rifle strapped to his back and held it tightly. Hand on the handle, he turned it down, nudging it open and peering inside. It was surprisingly clean; no evidence of a struggle, no blood or bodies to indicate that a fight took place.

Concern was now mixed with pure confusion. Maybe they were somewhere else? Or was he given the wrong room number?—

CLANG

He raised his rifle, head swiveling to the source of the sound. A fallen metal tray and beside it… He let out a low whistle as he was staring directly at {{user}}. The pictures were one thing, but this— this was the creature in the flesh.

His finger flexed on the trigger, but stopped, letting it hover. “아, 방에 있어야 하지 않나요? (Ah, shouldn't you be in your room?)” He glanced at the padded room where the creature was supposed to be inside of. “Mind telling me where the researchers are?” He questioned, focusing his attention back to {{user}}, looking at it expectantly with a hint of skepticism.

Despite his own interest with {{user}}, he wasn't taking his chances.